Dancing Flames
by Ph0enix-Flyer
Summary: It's the day of Arthur's coronation. The whole Kingdom is celebrating and it's not just the people that are dancing - thanks to a certain warlock. Gwen/Merlin friendship, with a little bit of Gwaine and Lancelot thrown in. One-shot.


**_I've been neglecting Gwen a little bit (OK, a lot) in "Dabbling in Falconry" so I thought I'd try something with mainly just her and Merlin while I was ticking over between chapters. It's set just after Arthur's coronation and the Big Reveal.  
>Personally, I don't think that Merlin will tell Arthur the full details of their shared destiny – I don't imagine he will want to drop on Arthur the pressure of knowing he will unite Albion. I'd like to think that he'll let Arthur follow his heart and simply guide him along the way, keeping that burden for himself.<em>**

**_I quite enjoyed the short crush that seemed to be going on between Merlin and Gwen in the first series; it was mainly Gwen that had a crush on Merlin, but the poor lad always got flustered when pressed about it, which I thought was just so cute.  
>Now, in the later series, these two are still cute together in the same kind of way that Harry and Hermione are cute together in the <em>Harry Potter_ Series – there's no romantic relationship there but it's still incredibly sweet. One of my favourite scenes ever so far is when Merlin winds Gwen up at the beginning of 'Eye of the Phoenix' whilst they're looking through the door into the throne room. Gwen does exactly what I would have done and punches him one! XD_**

**_So, this is for anyone who thinks that there needs to be more Gwen/Merlin Friendship fics out there. A certain dance was inspired by a song by Westlife (who are Irish, ironically) called _I Will Reach You_._**

**-~-M-~-**

It was a time of great celebration in Camelot, a time of feasting and revelry. Anticipated by many – prophesied by a well-informed few – the whole kingdom had converged upon the great castle. Everyone, of all classes and backgrounds were invited and accepted for such a joyous occasion. They were united together in the shared feeling of excited anticipation for the dawning of a new era.

The coronation of King Arthur Pendragon – the Once and Future King.

Most were unaware of the prophesy surrounding the young man; his great destiny to unite all of Albion under one banner and usher in a time of peace. However, most didn't need to.

The epitome of compassion, it was known that the kingdom of Camelot and its people meant everything to the young man. That he would do anything to protect her and her people. And that meant _all_ of the people; noble and peasant alike. Once ridiculed by a selfish minority for having 'a soft spot for servants', he had captured the hearts of the people; earning their undying loyalty and love, creating a unity that strengthened the kingdom.

And Guinevere fancied that she was now perhaps the most proud woman in all of Albion.

There was a permanent smile on her face this day and now that it was evening she felt a deep ache in her cheeks. She couldn't care less.

Wearing a beautiful purple dress and standing in the front row alongside the council members and the Knights of the Round Table, Gwen had held her head high with proud tears in her eyes as Geoffrey of Monmouth placed that crown on Arthur's golden hair. Ever humble, the new king had also been glossy-eyed as he rose from his knees to face the room at large, casting his eyes across the front row containing his most trusted friends before they landed on her. She had beamed at him – for once unashamed of her now-falling tears as the pride and love danced between them. She knew that things were going to really start to change now; in the back of her mind the word _betrothed_ softly echoed and she smiled wider.

The moment was broken as the sound of the trumpets belted out the royal fanfare, but Gwen was not saddened; this was a day for the people. Arthur was finally the king!

The day had cascaded into a flurry of activity. The entire city celebrated in the streets and for the first time in memory the newly-crowned king joined them, drinking with them and sharing their joy with his.

Now in the evening, the noblemen and women were dining in the Great Hall. The massive table had been packed with food, the alcohol was passed around and merry conversation flowed. A smaller, but still large, table was pushed to the wall, packed with just as much food for the servants waiting on. It was a sign of equality and Gwen sat proudly to Arthur's left, their hands entwined on top of the table for all to see.

Eventually, with their bellies full, the tables were cleared and – on Arthur's instruction – even the Great Table was moved aside to the wall along with the chairs. Then started the next part of the evening – the entertainment.

On the dais where the throne usually sat, a small group of people were gathered. Some carried instruments – lutes, vielles, flutes, trumpets and percussion – while others just came with their voices. Combining their skills they played countless songs, while those in attendance danced or sang along throughout the Great Hall, filling the air with beautiful music.

Though she had been glued to Arthur's side for the day, now Gwen found herself happily mingling with those around her; laughing with her friends and strangers alike.

At one point Gwaine had asked her to dance which, after giving him a non-serious glare telling him to "behave," she accepted. Despite the joking though, she knew that Gwaine respected her; their short dance was lively, with him dipping her more times and much lower than she thought was strictly necessary. But by the end both were laughing so much that her sides hurt and her hair had come undone from where it was piled high on her head in an elaborate style.

"You're impossible Gwaine," she finally managed to get out between giggles whilst trying to rearrange her dark locks.

"My fair Lady, I am wounded to hear you say that." The knight replied with fake sadness on his face, though his dark eyes were sparkling. "Besides, I'm the best dancer there is. You know you want more."

She watched as he clutched at his heart for good measure and Gwen gave him a light slap on his arm, but the effect was ruined as she couldn't help giggling again, knowing he was just playing with her.

"Careful, you don't want Arthur to hear you say that."

"Please," Gwaine scoffed lightly, "everyone knows I could best the Princess in a fight with my eyes shut."

He paused for a second, his face turning thoughtful.

"Though I guess I should be calling him Queeny now, huh?"

Gwen laughed again, giving the man another half-hearted slap on the arm. She turned her head as from the corner of her eye she spotted Lancelot coming towards them.

Though they could never be, Gwen still felt a fluttering deep down in her stomach as she met the knight's chocolate-brown eyes. There always had been some kind of chemistry between them, but time had moved on and now 'they' were only a fleeting 'what if'. Things were often still slightly awkward between them and for a second she felt herself inwardly flounder as she wondered what she would say if he asked her to dance. After studying her for a moment, Lancelot seemed to understand her discomfort and smiled gently.

"My Lady," he said softly, offering a small bow to which she returned a smile. "You're looking beautiful this evening."

"Thank-you," was the only response she could think to give. Giving up on messing with her hair she pulled it free to hang loose on her shoulders.

More perceptive to the atmosphere than she gave him credit for, Gwaine soon piped up with what she supposed he thought was a sure-fire ice-breaker.

"Lance my good man! Fancy a dance?"

He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at the gentle knight and that, along with Lancelot's fine impression of a startled deer, set Gwen off laughing again.

"Err... no." Lancelot said firmly, though he then smiled. "I'll have a drink with you if you're up for one though?"

Gwaine looked frankly insulted.

"Mate, when am I _not_ up for a drink?"

Slinging his arm across Lancelot's shoulders Gwaine turned and bowed to Gwen, tipping the other knight down with him – more as a means to rib the other man than to show true propriety – before they both turned and headed towards the tables against the walls.

Shaking her head at their antics, Gwen turned to look through the crowd of moving bodies. Moving slowly across the Hall and swapping the odd pleasantries with others as she went, Gwen soon came across another familiar figure. He was leaning against one of the pillars, and though his eyes on the crowds it was obvious he wasn't really seeing them; his mind was clearly elsewhere as he stood alone amongst the festivities. Quickly making her way over to him, Gwen brightly greeted one of her oldest friends.

"Merlin! Enjoying your night?"

The dark-haired man turned his sapphire blue eyes to her and she couldn't help but notice that there was some sort of unexplainable sadness in them.

"Gwen," the smile that she loved so much quickly spread across her friend's face. "Yes, thank-you. You're looking lovely, as usual."

She smiled back at him, fiddling with a strand of her hair for a second as she leaned on the pillar next to him.

"Thanks, my hair's being a pain, but I think I can blame Gwaine for that one."

Merlin chuckled, but didn't say more on the matter and returned his gaze to the crowds.

It was plainly obvious to Gwen that Merlin's mood was distinctly melancholy. His feelings were an open-book; his big eyes always showing what he was feeling to those who looked. However, Gwen was also aware that Merlin had his secrets and, although he was a hopeless liar, he was very good at withholding information. He was an enigma like that; the man was very good at avoiding questions and was an expert at changing the subject. If he didn't want to tell you something; you wouldn't get it out of him.

The extent of this had become apparent recently as his greatest secret was revealed.

Merlin was a sorcerer.

Well, not a sorcerer, a warlock to be exact; Merlin was born with his powers and so had no choice. In the beginning he had stressed the difference, as well as the fact that magic was not just simply evil; it was natural, neither good nor bad. Gwen, of course, had been aware of this after seeing magic heal her father during the Plague so long ago. But she could admit she had still been terrified. Not _of_ Merlin, heavens no, she knew their Merlin didn't have an evil bone in his body. No, she was scared _for_ Merlin. For Gwen had also been on the receiving-end of all kinds of 'bad' magic, she had seen how power like that twisted people's minds and corrupted their hearts. She had been terrified that something like that could happen to Merlin, oh so terrified.

But then he had assured her, in his typical way with that beautiful smile of his that if he hadn't gone evil by now, then he certainly wasn't going to in the future.

And that had been enough for Gwen.

Arthur had taken a longer time to come around. Being the stubborn man that he is it had taken him awhile to recover from the deceit and the secrecy. Though a chat she'd had with him had helped, things weren't truly resolved until, after three weeks of walking on eggshells, both Arthur and Merlin had exploded on each other in a, frankly quite spectacular, shouting match that lasted nearly an hour. After that the two had started mending their bridges and though things weren't quite the same, they were gradually getting better.

Merlin and Arthur _were_ still friends. The friendship was just different now – it was much more equal – and both had to take the time to get used to the change.

Speaking of Arthur, where was he?

Ah, there he was. The newly-crowned king was standing with a bunch of his knights; talking animatedly and waving the mug of ale that was in his hand around as he emphasised whatever point he was trying to make. It was really quite funny actually and Gwen found herself giggling yet again.

"What?" Merlin asked with an amused smile.

"Oh, just Arthur. He and the knights are gossiping like a bunch of old ladies."

She heard Merlin snort with surprised amusement as he followed her gaze.

"That was quite a good one; I'll have to remember it." Though his eyes remained on Arthur, she saw them loose focus as his mind obviously wandered again. "I can't believe it's finally happened."

Frankly, Gwen couldn't either.

"I know," she turned a loving gaze onto her love, though for now he remained unaware of it. "He'll be a great king."

"Mm..."

Something was obviously bothering Merlin. Since he had revealed his magic he had seemed in a perpetually happy mood, what with all the new freedom he had and the sheer _relief_ of it all. All of Camelot's knights, as well as a sizeable chunk of the nobles and servants, now knew Merlin had magic. Some traditionalists were distrustful of him; others were scared of what he could do; yet more were simply too amazed to decide. The knowledge everyone had meant that most didn't know how to act around the poor man anymore, so they kept away, keeping their heads down and leaving him to himself.

For someone like Merlin, who had endless cheer and thrived when he was amongst others, being alienated in such a way must be devastating; no matter how much he insisted that it didn't bother him.

As she watched her friend start to close off again, Gwen decided that she'd had enough. Tonight was a night of joy for everyone; whatever was bothering Merlin could wait another night.

"Dance with me?"

That had his attention immediately and the way the warlock looked at her made her feel like she'd grown a second head.

"What?"

Oh Merlin... his impression of a startled deer was even better than Lancelot's.

"You heard me," she said whilst taking a hold of his hand and starting to guide him away from the pillar and more into the middle of the Hall.

Merlin spluttered, repeatedly starting and stopping his words but never actually saying anything that made sense. He was hesitant and tense as a bow-string, but like she knew he would, he followed her.

Once they were in a decent space, Gwen turned to face him, placing his right hand on her waist whilst reaching for his left with her right. If it were possible, Merlin tensed even more and honestly, Gwen was confused. Normally she was the one who got embarrassed by things like this, and neither of them had been flustered in front of each other for years. Theirs was an easy friendship like that, so his behaviour right now was strange to her. Surely it couldn't be over something as trivial as dancing?

"Don't worry, I'm a terrible dancer too Merlin."

That forced a reluctant laugh from him.

"It's not that."

He was looking over her shoulder now and she turned in his still-rigid arms to see what he was looking at. Almost predictably, it was Arthur, and really, that was irritating.

"He won't mind Merlin, you're my friend and he knows it's all harmless. He trusts you."

"Mm..."

Merlin was certainly the talkative type tonight, he was being worse than Arthur could be for 'grunting' and 'humming' his responses instead of just making things easier and _talking_.

"Tell you what, if he does say anything I'll find a way to dye all his undergarments pink. How's that?"

Three 'deer-impressions' in one night, Gwen was on a roll. To her delight Merlin laughed outright, finally relaxing a bit.

"That's evil Gwen, but I may just take you up on that offer."

The music changed into a new song. It wasn't too fast, but it was upbeat. As she picked up the edge of her skirt with her left hand, Gwen watched from the corner of her eye while Merlin looked around nervously.

"Merlin?"

He looked at her and in his eyes she could still see the bit of darker emotion that always looked so out of place there. She gave him a tender smile and briefly moved their joined hands so that the back of hers brushed his cheek.

"I don't know what's wrong, and I'm not going to invade your privacy and ask. But it's such a special night tonight. Can you try and push it aside? For me?"

Gwen could actually see it as Merlin's eyes cleared, seeming to become an even brighter blue as he let his worries go. At least for now. His eyes sparkled and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips before they began to dance.

To be honest, she had told a little white lie before when she said she couldn't dance. When she had first been appointed as Morgana's maidservant when they were both young girls of 13, Morgana had just started learning in earnest the vast laws of etiquette that Ladies of the Court had to master. One of these was the art of dance and, once their friendship solidified, the two girls sometimes practised in the young Lady's room – giggling as they danced with pillows, brooms and even each other.

Safe to say, Gwen knew what she was doing. So, naturally, it came as a pleasant surprise to her when Merlin smoothly started to lead her and they began to twirl about the Hall.

One of Merlin's most endearing qualities – to her at least – was that the man had all the leg coordination of a newborn foal; he could trip on a flat path whilst standing still if given the chance. This often annoyed some people, but despite appearances Merlin _could_ be graceful if he put his mind to it, he just had to concentrate. So she was amazed that he _didn't_ have two-left feet as well, like she would have originally guessed.

"Where did you learn to dance?" She asked as he skilfully spun her before they came back together and started twirling about the floor again.

Merlin raised an eyebrow and merely shrugged, giving away nothing.

They carried on dancing as the music changed ever-so-slightly, getting a little faster. Gwen was aware that, around them, people were stopping to stare. She imagined that they were probably quite the sight; a girl dressed in the lavish clothes of a Lady dancing with a scruffy servant. Merlin's position was still that which it had been for years and he was wearing the clothes he always had, along with his trademark neckerchief. Gwen could care less though. This was the start of a new era, and someone had to lead the way.

Her attention was drawn back to Merlin as he grinned outright. Before she could ask what he was up to – as she _knew_ that such a thing meant he was planning something – Merlin's eyes glowed gold.

Despite knowing about Merlin's magic for a few months now, Gwen had only ever actually seen him use it twice; once to unbolt a locked door and the other time to launch a pillow across the room at Arthur. He was sparing with it, preferring to do things as everyone else did and generally saving his magic for when it was needed. None of those times that he had used it had she been as close up to him as she was now, so as she watched the golden magic dance in his eyes, Gwen found herself entranced.

Murmurs followed by a strange flickering light drew Gwen's attention from her friend to look around her again and she gasped softly in pleasure and surprise.

All around the room were hundreds of candles, lighting up the huge space. Still dancing, Gwen watched as Merlin lifted each individual flame from their wicks to dance like fireflies through the air. The swirling lights weaved between people and pillars at Merlin's whim, twisting and turning like they were alive. The lights had the attention of everyone in the room now, the people looking at them with a combination of wariness and awe.

Silence fell and everyone – including Gwen and Merlin – stopped their dancing as the music died.

Enchanted by the tiny flames, Gwen kept a hold of both of Merlin's hands; squeezing them gently in what she hoped conveyed her awe. Merlin must have understood, because he went one step further.

Soft gasps came from many in the crowd as, one-by-one, each of the candle-flames changed colours. Now, a rainbow of lights chased each other, creating dazzling multi-coloured patterns on the walls and faces of the people present. Faster and faster they swirled, getting closer and closer together with each pass around the room until eventually all the lights were gathered in a shrinking ball in the centre of the room, directly above Gwen and Merlin's heads. Suddenly, with a series of _pops_, the lights collided. There was a flash of brilliant gold – the same colour gold that Merlin's eyes were blazing – as they combined to create a magnificent golden dragon made of fire. The dragon surveyed the room for a few seconds before spreading its wings and throwing back its head in a silent roar, exploding with another, louder _pop_ as each of the individual lights darted back to their places on the candles.

The room seemed oddly dark after the brilliant gold of the dragon and Gwen blinked a few times as she returned her gaze to Merlin. She smiled as she saw his eyes were still glowing, like a cat in the night. But it wasn't in any way a dangerous or a striking look. No, it was soft, it was beautiful and, on Merlin, it was _natural_.

Around them, the murmurs started up. Some of the people more comfortable with the magical display went back to their activities, while others either remained staring or discreetly moved away. Gwen was blind to them all; she watched her friend's eyes gradually fade back to blue before he smiled at her. All the negative feelings she'd seen in him earlier were gone – banished from his mind as he revelled in such a simple use of his gift. His wonderful, beautiful gift.

Gwen felt her heart swell in her chest; Arthur was not the only one she was proud of today.

There were two types of people in the world, magic and non-magic. Arthur – with his skills in combat, his courage and his powerful feelings which moved people – was the one to lead the non-magical, to keep them safe. Whereas Merlin – with his magic, his simple outlook on life and the way he just attracted people with his goodness – was the one to lead the magical, to show them the way.

Arthur and Merlin had each other, and together, Gwen just knew they were going to do impossible things.

Leaning upwards on her tiptoes, she placed a gentle kiss on her friend's cheek before gazing into his eyes; soft brown on brilliant blue.

"Thank-you Merlin. Don't ever change."

The warlock gifted her with a dazzling smile, his eyes dancing as he brought her hands together in front of them and laid a kiss of his own on the top of them.

"Never."

**-~-M-~-**

_Everybody's got an answer to a question  
>That they need to know<br>Still broken over one thing I didn't ask you  
>Do you have to go?<br>Now looking for a reason, it isn't easy  
>But I gotta have hope<em>

_Sometimes it can be harder to remember  
>Than to just let go<br>Always seems to be something to remind me  
>Of what I miss the most<br>Cos you were the one thing I believed in  
>When it all falls down<em>

_So if you've got a candle, you'd better light it now  
>And if you've got a voice, you'd better shout out loud.<br>Raise your hands above this crowd  
>And I will reach you<br>Can you hear me, can you hear me now?_

_Even though I can't see you, I can feel you  
>After all this time<br>So maybe if you're hurting  
>All I'm asking for is just one sign<br>Cos I never met anyone who was lost  
>But didn't wanna be found<em>

_So if you've got a candle, you'd better light it now  
>And if you've got a voice, you'd better shout out loud.<br>Just raise your hands above this crowd  
>And I will reach you<br>Can you hear me, can you hear me?  
>I will reach you.<br>Can you hear me now?_

_Light it now  
>I will reach you<br>Shout out loud  
>I will reach you<br>Raise your hands above this crowd._

_So if you've got a candle, you'd better light it now  
>And if you've got a voice, you'd better shout out loud.<br>Raise your hands above this crowd  
>And I will reach you<br>Can you hear me, can you hear me?  
>Can you hear me now?<br>I will reach you  
>Can you hear me, can you hear me?<br>I will reach you  
>Can you hear me?<br>I will reach you._

_Raise your hands above this crowd  
>And I will reach you<br>Can you hear me now?_

**-~-M-~-**

**_So, there you have it. Hope you enjoyed it guys and as usual when I suggest songs, if you're interested, look it up on YouTube. ;)_**

**_XD :D XD_**


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